We get a lot of questions as far as estimating the amount it will cost to tune a car, here’s a little write up that will hopefully shed some light on the topic. First and foremost, let me start by saying before you spend money on any other modification, your first purchase should be some sort of tuning device and a proper tune for your car.

There’s a reason they’re called tuner cars. A production car, is made for the general population. This means its made and tuned from the factory for the everyday driver and use. When someone (you) purchase one of these factory cars, and start adding bolt on parts, it really becomes a gamble whether or not that part will gain power and this is why.

The combustion engine likes to run at a particular air/fuel mixture. By tweaking this mixture a tuner can gain power and torque, and also trade off one for the other. Now since the only way to do this is by utilizing some sort of piggyback or engine management system, how can one expect to gain power by just adding parts? Even if you purchase and install a free flowing intake and exhaust system, how is that alone expected to add power. A free flow system may or may not add some power without a proper tune because of the simple fact that it is a freer flowing setup, But remember, it will change the air/fuel mixture in the process and sometimes that change is in the wrong direction. So even if your new $900 intake/exhaust system adds 10hp, the potential gain could have been 50hp with a proper tune. So why spend $900 and settle for 10 hp when the same amount of money can buy you a piggyback unit and get your car tuned with greater results? Then when you purchase your intake, exhaust, adjustable cam gears etc, you can actually tune it to your car and gain even more power then you ever would with the bolt-ons alone.

This is why 2 identical cars with same engine and mods can run quite differently.     

Did you know the 350Z loses power with a free flow intake (if it has not been tuned to it)? How many of you out there have a cold air or free flow intake setup and no way to tune it. This information is for you to understand and use to your advantage while you take your journey into the tuner car world, so use it to your advantage the next time you consider modifying your ride.

Remember, They’re called tuner cars for a reason, So why not tune your tuner car?

You will get more results from tuning your stock car, than any other single mod. As far as the costs associated with tuning go, here’s a simple way to look at it. Our tuning rates are $200 an hr (currently on special, see above). Normally a fine tune on an already running vehicle wont take more than 1 to 1.5 hrs. If a tune takes longer than 2 hrs to tune, that means the gains will be substantial! …so either way YOU WIN!

Example: (these are from actual clients)

A gain of 25hp on a stock KA24DE engine

(nissan 240sx) took 1 hr. That translates to

$250.00 for 25hp. Thats a deal!

What other mod will give you 25hp for $250?

A gain of 90hp and 95tq at the wheels! 1968 Ford Mustang shelby GT500 took 10 hrs to complete and at the discounted rate it cost $1400.00. Thats a gain of over 100hp at the crank for $1400.00. Although $1400.00 isn’t cheap, its the price of a good exhaust system and no other mod can give you that kind of gain (short of nitrous) and this was gained on a normally aspirated Ford small block by tuning only.

(F.Y.I. the car ran well before the tune. No surging or any signs to display an improper tune, it just lacked the power that the engine should have been capable of). Although the above noted gains are not very common on a naturally aspirated car, substantial gains can be expected from any descent tune.

Please contact us with any questions.